Learn, Participate, Conserve

Watch for monarch butterflies laying eggs on milkweed across the country right now. If you spot a female (see monarch SOS app to learn the difference between males and females) flitting from one small milkweed plant to the next, especially those lacking flowers, be sure to check under the leaves, you may see tiny cream colored or white eggs have been laid. This is exciting to say the least, since monarchs have been declining dramatically over the past 10-20 years. It's too early to say whether they are making an official comeback, however, major strides have been made with respect to monarch conservation. Mowing practices have been altered to accommodate hatching larvae, cities and towns have begun planting pollinator gardens to support adult monarchs (and other pollinators) once they've eclosed from their chrysalises, and communities in general are taking steps to eliminate pesticides that kill milkweed, the larval host plant of monarch butterflies. These seemingly small steps could make a huge difference and could be the reason monarch butterflies return in large numbers to our landscape.